Why the Ravens have been smart thus far in the Offseason

To the average football fan it might seem like the Ravens were making some bad decisions so far. I am here to tell you why this offseason has been savvy. First lets talk about who they lost and who they gained. Notable Losses: Eric Weddle, John Brown, Michael Crabtree, Terrell Suggs, CJ Mosley and Za’Darius Smith. Key Additions: Mark Ingram and Earl Thomas. The Ravens did lose four starters on defense. Other than CJ Mosley they will all be replaced without a beat this year. With the addition of Mark Ingram they not only get a veteran running back to mentor their two young guys in Gus Edwards and Kenneth Dixon. They get a huge upgrade in a guy who has lots of miles left. The ravens have not had a consistent and stable guy at the running back position in years so hopefully Ingram can give them that. As much of a veteran leader and heartbeat of the team Eric Weddle was, Earl Thomas is a major upgrade at safety. Earl Thomas was in a toxic situation last season in Seattle and still produced before getting injured. Thomas has a lot of good football ahead of him and will be the closest thing to Ed Reed the Ravens have had since he left. Za’Darius Smith was way overpaid and the Ravens had zero thought of resigning him. His pass rushing production will be easily replaced by the likes of Matthew Judon, Brandon Williams, and Kenny Young. Terrell Suggs as much as he has done for the franchise and as much as I love him. Resigning him would have merely been sentimental. He’s aging and his production is declining. John Brown was not even close to being worth 9 million a year as he got in Buffalo. He started out the year hotter than a fox in a forest fire and was irrelevant by seasons end. Even though the Raven’s receiving core is not very strong right now he was not worth the money. Now lets get to the biggest guy that left. Inside linebacker CJ Mosley. Mosley is a great linebacker and a great run protector. Initially I was devastated when he did not resign. When you look at it they were smart to let him walk for that contract. Mosley clogs it up and is a great run stuffer and is always up there in league leaders for tackles. Mosley is not great in pass coverage. In my opinion if I am giving that much money to a linebacker he should do it all. Don’t get me wrong Mosley earned his money and has been a center piece in this defense. I think Patrick Onwuasor will step up and fill his shoes just fine. He emerged at the end of last season coming through huge in the win at San Diego late in the season. So I think the Ravens will do what they always do. They saved money went and got their two guys they wanted and they will have guys step up as always and will have a good draft. The Ravens always do a good job in the draft and have guys step up when counted on. So overall I love what the Ravens have done so far and I am not worried one bit. #ALLIN